Rise
by LightNeverFades
Summary: The light is poisoned to become darkness, and the young rider will have to make a decision. The lives of Algaesia hang in the balance and it is Eragon alone that will have to step into destiny's path to destroy what he believed or save what is left of him
1. Where to Belong

**Rise**

**A/N: **Tell me. Why can't I seem to find any (much) Dark Eragon fics? It's killing me…! Okay, now I sound weird. But seriously, every hero has got to have an alter ego, lol. After seeing the movie version of Eragon, I think we seriously need a dose of poison.

Please please review:D **Flames **will be merci**lessly** cut into smithereens!

**Summary:** AU: The light is poisoned to become darkness, and the young rider will have to make a decision. The lives of Algaesia hang in the balance, and it is Eragon alone that will have to step into destiny's path to destroy what he believed, or save what is left of him. **Light****・****Dark Eragon**

**x**

Do not get angry if I make a mistake over a detail, whether it is a name, character, personality, place, area, yadda yadda yadda. I _am _human after all, lol.

Also Arya is _nowhere _to be seen in this story, or at least, on this chapter. I don't really feel like putting her in the story, and since her existence is not really important on this story.. Well she is important, just no on THIS particular chapter. I might or might not put her on, depending on how the story goes.

**x**

**Chapter One - Where to Belong**

"Interesting…"

Galbatorix let the image of the young rider vanish from his sight, pushing it away with a wave of his hand. He put a finger on his lips, with a thoughtful expression on his face. In spite of his anger of the egg being stolen by the Elves, it had unexpectedly reached the hands of a mere farm boy. And for mysteries unknown, the egg had hatched.

Another rider now exists besides the great Galbatorix, and he will either become a threat or a part of the Empire. And of course this man wished to be a 'friend' to the young rider.

_Eragon… _Galbatorix thought with a smirk. _You shall be under my command soon… Very soon…_

"DURZA!" he yelled with an authority that chilled all under his command. Immediately the 'man' in question appeared in front of his master with a shimmer of dark smoke trailing behind him. His head was bowed as he spoke. "How may I help you, milord?"

Galbatorix smiled. He always liked it when his servants were submissive to his command. "There is a new rider in our midst. We must take this boy under our wing before the Varden hears of him. Capture him and his dragon and bring the rider here. Do _not _disappoint me." He saw the Shade nod.

"I will not let you down, my lord." Durza bowed before vanishing from Galbatorix's personal chambers.

"Good."

**X**

_Eragon… I feel a danger is closing in on us. A man that should not be alive… _Saphira spoke gravely. Her hushed tone made the blue – eyed rider shiver. He didn't understand what she was talking about, but he knew he had to find out. He looked at Saphira's concerned look and then at Murtagh beside him, riding his own steed. He saw Tornac whine, as if it knew Eragon was looking at its Master's direction. He then turned back to look at Saphira, a puzzled look on his face.

_What do you mean…_ Eragon spoke softly.

Saphira didn't answer for a while. _Do you not feel what I feel, Eragon? There is a smell in the wind that I cannot name. An evil that wants you for its own purposes. If the Empire were after us, it would be almost obvious for the enemy to send someone to capture us._

Eragon would have snorted with ridicule had it not been for the seriousness of their conversation. _True…__ but so far we have beaten the Ra'zac… _**(A/N: You can corre****ct me if I'm wrong about this, my memory is vague because the book isn't with me at the moment.)** _If they were after us, why haven__'t they come and captured us already?_

_I do not know. But I can feel someone following us for a little while now._

_Why haven't you mentioned this before? Murtagh and I would have worked something up to capture this stranger you speak of! After that, we could have questioned his motives. _Eragon shouted in anger.

_**And what if we failed to do so accordingly?** I am not foolish, Eragon. I would have told you immediately had it not been for the fact that the man following us could just as well be **stronger **than us! _Saphira growled, countering back. Eragon still felt furious towards Saphira for keeping the important fact a secret. And yet, it ebbed away slowly. In the end, he sighed softly.

_I'm sorry I shouted at you… I was just worried for all of us. After Brom's death, my life can now be in peril in any place and time. Now Murtagh's life is under the balance. I could almost go crazy from it._

He felt Saphira soften, and he felt _her _anger fade. _I feel what you feel, Eragon. You are not alone in your troubles. _Eragon felt himself smile, but it didn't last long when he heard Murtagh shout loudly.

"We have company!" That single sentence made both Eragon and Saphira's senses sharpen.

Eragon looked to see that Murtagh had gotten of his horse, taking out his sword. He, too, did the same as he got off the steed, still holding the reins tightly. Eragon couldn't see anything suspicious, but the snap of a twig meant that someone was with them now. He pulled his sword out with a swish, and saw a glimpse of the red shine on Zar'roc.

Silence cut through the forest they stood in the middle of. The only sound that could be heard was the footsteps of their pursuers, and their breaths escaping them.

"Don't hide in the darkness, coward! Reveal yourself!" Eragon shouted, something Murtagh would have done if the young rider hadn't done it first. _Careful… _he felt Saphira whisper.

The footsteps stopped, and a chuckle rang through the forest. Suddenly it felt so cold.

"**Coward?" **the chuckle now turned into a laugh. Whatever made him laugh, it didn't make Eragon and his companions laugh along with him. **"I am no coward. You however… You, young rider, will be afraid after this meeting."**

Murtagh snorted. "I doubt it." Eragon smiled at this.

The voice gave a growl of annoyance. **"I. Did. Not. Ask. For. Your. OPINION!" **

Suddenly Murtagh gave a yell of surprise as he was thrown off his feet and blasted far away from Eragon's side. Eragon was about to rush to his friend's aid to help him up, only to be stopped when he felt something grab his leg and pull him closer towards the voice.

_ERAGON! _Saphira shouted as she took flight, the sharp sound of her wings cutting through the air to be heard. Eragon felt her grab him in her claws, but it seemed that it was no enough. He was pulled even closer to the sound of the voice. He gave a growl of pain and fear suddenly flashed before his eyes, as Saphira was unable to hold on to him.

Whatever was pulling at his leg had an iron grip as he was dragged through the mud. He could see Saphira come after him with ultra speed, a roar escaping her lips. He desperately tried to cut away at the object holding onto his leg, but being dragged through the forest ground was no easy trip. His grip on Zar'roc eventually ceased to exist as his hands slammed into the trees' trunks. Gritting his teeth painfully, he attempted to grab the dirt and dig his fingers into them. But what he accomplished from doing this was leave traces of claw marks. Eragon was almost losing hope of ever stopping, when suddenly he realized that it had stopped.

"**Foolish boy. Did you think a mere sword and a dragon would make me fear you?" **the owner of the voice spoke with amusement as Eragon got up slowly, wincing from the pain. He turned to look at his enemy with a glare and his gaze intensified with hate when he saw twisted man standing before him. Emanating a foul aura of darkness, this man smiled cruelly at his direction.

"You… Murtagh talked of you. You're a _shade._" Eragon hissed and suddenly he felt a familiar voice shout for him.

_Eragon! Are you alright? Where are you? I cannot sense you! _Saphira spoke to him frantically. _I am alright…__ I'm facing a shade…_

_Do not take action until I am there with you, Eragon! Do not do anything foolish--- _the voice was cut off, and Eragon looked around his surroundings as if searching for Saphira's voice with his eyes was going to do any good. But he found out why it was suddenly cut off. Surrounding him was a cocoon of dark smoke, locking him in a place where he had no escape.

"**Do not forget that you are talking to _me, _rider." **The shade, Durza, growled with annoyance. He hated it when his prisoners ignored him over something less unworthy.

Eragon finally got up to his feet, and he spread his palm at the Shade's direction. Without hesitation, he shouted, _"Brisingr!" _Fire burst through his palm and flew at the Shade with intention to hurt him. Instead his plan backfired as Durza growled, **"G****ánga aptr!" **The magical fire that was initially being thrown at the Shade not turned around, as if a huge wind had changed its mind and decided to move the other way. Eragon could only give out a gasp of shock as he was knocked off his feet, blasting on to the ground. Tears stung his eyes, as did the fire that burned. It vanished quickly though and in spite of that, the boy couldn't even give out a sigh of relief. The strength to conjure the spell was enough him of power.

He felt himself go dizzy, his eyes starting to swim. He tried to get up and fight but he fell onto the ground with little strength left in him. Eragon looked up at Durza, who smiled. Clearly, he was amused.

"**Poor, poor Eragon Dragonrider. Caught in a battle you would like to have avoided. Instead, your dragoncracks its shell for you, and your world is turned upside down. What a shame. Would you like it to turn back to normal, boy? To return to being a farm boy?" **The Shade sneered in mockery

"Yes…" Eragon paused and then spoke again, "No… I would have liked to see Garrow and Brom still alive, but Saphira was the best thing that had ever happened to me. Not even the past would want me to change my future." After saying the last sentence, he coughed and found he had spit out blood from his system. Even in his pain, he glared at Durza. This made the Shade stop smiling.

"**I am to capture you alive, along with your dragon. If you come to us willingly, you will not be hurt. But if you refuse, then results will be ... _disastrous..._" **The Shade growled. **"****Your pain will be lessened if you will succumb to my master's wishes."**

"Never!" Eragon yelled. This was the wrong thing to say as he was flung back by a spell the Shade had spoke. He gave out a painful cry, writhing in agony as electrical sparks stabbed him in and out. When it finally passed again, he realized that he was crying.

"**You are pathetic. It is a mystery why such a boy would be _wanted _by a dragon to become its rider. You are not a rider worthy of remembrance…" **Another jolt of pain shot through Eragon again, and this time he gave a scream through gritted teeth. **"****That's it. Scream for help. _No one but the Empire can help you _become _someone."_**

"You're… wrong!" Eragon rebelled through his agony. As if to answer him, he felt the darkness around him start to vanish. The cocoon he was trapped in was broken as the roar of Saphira's voice ripped through the air. The Shade gave out a snarl of agitation. Anyone would have thought that Eragon was saved. Instead, the most unlikely happened.

"**You _will _serve Empire!" **Durza growled and before Eragon could have anticipated what came next, a sword made of darkness shot through the air and pierced his heart. He gave out a scream far louder then before. It felt like something was eating him alive from the inside. He could hear Saphira call for him desperately but her voice felt so far away. _Eragon… Eragon… Eragon…!_

_Sa...phira... _he called out faintly as he felt his body go numb. Suddenly a jolt of energy streamed through his blood and his dropping eyes snapped open. He could feel Saphira's energy being passed through to him. The pain did not cease to end, but when he moved, the sword that had pierced through his chest vanished with a puff of black smoke. He got up, ignoring the agony as it started to lessen a little. It weakened him, and yet Saphira held him steady.

"**No… no mortal can stay conscious while the andlát sitja pierces their heart!" **Durza shouted in disbelief. He looked angry, and this made Eragon smile as he answered.

"I am no mortal; I am a rider!" Eragon spoke as he finally felt the darkness surround him shatter. A breath of fire blasted towards Durza's direction, and the Shade glared angrily at him. Before he disappeared with a puff of dark smoke, he shouted, **"You are poisoned, Eragon Dragonrider. Nothing can stop you from turning to our side now…!" **Even as he disappeared, the smile that appeared on the Shade's face disturbed Eragon.

Finally the Shade vanished, and he was alone with Saphira. The dragon walked towards him and gave him a soft nudge with her nose. _Are you alright?_

_I think… whatever the Shade did to me… the pain won't go away even with your strength flowing through my veins... _Eragon said and before he could say anything else, he felt his world swirl with darkness… Darkness that will consume his existence if only he were not too careful…

**x**

**Well now, we're finished for the moment! I'll try to update soon… After all, I left you guys on a juicy cliffhanger! –chuckles evilly- Excuse me, I just ate something out of the ordinary today, lol!**

**Anyways, it would be greatly appreciated if you can please leave a review! (: I would love to see what you think of this story!**

**andlát sitja - death sword (I know, not very original, but I was in a bit of a hurry… sighs…)**

**Gánga aptr - to go backward**

**Brisingr - fire ( I think everybody knows this very well.. but just in case! –smiles-)**


	2. Cold Doubt

**Rise**

I'm sorry for the really late update. I know it really sucks to wait. But my muse had suddenly vanished from sight, and finally it has come back with a bag of bones… (I don't wanna imagine what it might've been eating while it was away..) So yeah, I'm back and guilty! Please have mercy! -baby dragon eyes- Please?

**Thank you for all your wonderful reviews, and I'm really sorry if I let you down by not updating. But I hope you like this chapter if you get a chance to read it cause its for you:) -hugs-**

**Reviews are very appreciated:D NO FLAMES!**

**Summary: AU:** The light is poisoned to become darkness, and the young rider will have to make a decision. The lives of Algaesia hang in the balance, and it is Eragon alone that will have to step into destiny's path to destroy what he believed, or save what is left of him. Light・Dark Eragon

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from the book Eragon and Eldest, nor the movie! All I own is the plot.

**Chapter Two – Cold Doubt**

_**Eragon… ERAGON…!**_

Eragon's eyes opened very slowly, as if someone had stopped time accidentally. He tried to get up, but his body was so numb, he could do nothing but groan very loudly. Finally after a while, he got up with the help of his arms stabilizing him from falling flat on his face. The area was dark, meaning it was night now. The stars sparkled above him, the moon spreading beams of illumination that the wanderers' will need on their journey. A fire crackled near him, glowing orange.

Someone probed his mind, and he resisted it at first. In the back of his mind, a voice told him to push this presence away from him, to be rid of it. _Push it away, push it away… _Eragon blinked, his eyes starting to adjust to the dancing lights around him. His hand touched the earth, and he could feel its familiar texture. He was about to listen to the voice naïvely but something stopped him almost at once.

This presence was Saphira.

_Eragon… Eragon! It is Saphira. Let me in, little one! _Saphira spoke in a concerned voice. Her large eyes met Eragon, and he got up weakly. His palms let go of the dirt and touched his dragon's scales in reassurance to an emotion still alien to him.

_Saphira… _the young man spoke, and he let the familiar presence to fill him inside with her warmth. It had been so cold before… so very cold, when there was only darkness in his body and soul. It had stolen away his consciousness, leaving him in a world where there was no light. To Eragon, it had almost felt as if someone had stolen a piece of him… Ripping it unwillingly from his heart with an emptiness that will never heal. He shivered uncontrollably. He tried to shake it off, but failed miserably. _I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me… I'm sorry, Saphira… _Eragon shook his head in confusion, the comfort of being able to be with his dragon slowly starting to fade away into fear.

_You have nothing to be sorry for. I was just worried about you, Eragon. I cannot lose you… Stay strong for all of us. _Eragon nodded slowly, trying to shake off the mounting dread in his stomach. He was starting to remember the events of what had happened to him clearly now. The Shade… The Dark Sword… The last words Durza had yelled at him before he had vanished…

"_**You are poisoned, Eragon Dragonrider. Nothing can stop you from turning to our side now…!"**_

Poisoned… What did the Shade mean by this? He was healthy, or so he thought. Apart from the shivers that had continued to attack him the minute he woke up and the scratches he had gotten when he was being dragged through the forest, he had nothing to fear. It might have been just a mere trick to make him fear Durza, and he would not succumb to such a ludicrous act.

_Murtagh did not see the sword pierce you. I would have told him, but it is not my decision to make. I do not suspect Murtagh to be an enemy… If he wanted to hurt you, he would have done it a long time ago. However, the appearance of the Shade has clouded his character. And the fact that this young man holds a secret we do not know bothers my conscious. What is your conclusion, Eragon?_

Eragon didn't answer. He looked at Saphira with a shocked expression… He did not expect Murtagh to have a secret, but then again, he had only met him a while back. And in spite the fact that Murtagh was a stranger added to the problem. He didn't want to lie… But for Saphira and his safety, he would do it. At least, for the time being. Until Murtagh's secret was revealed to him. Then he will reveal his.

_Murtagh will not know what happened between the Shade, at least for now. But when we know what he is hiding, then we will tell him…_

Saphira nodded, and then her eyes moved not at Eragon's direction, but at the figure that was walking behind him.

"Eragon, are you feeling better…?" Murtagh's familiar voice spoke, and Eragon turned to look at him. He gave him a nod, and smelt the worry in his friend's aura vanish slightly, becoming a little smaller than before. Murtagh gave him a half smile, as if he didn't quite believe him. But he didn't open his mouth to disagree. "Do you need any help with the injuries?"

"No, I'll be fine. I'll mend them with magic." Murtagh gave him a small envious look at hearing this.

"You are lucky, you know that, Eragon? You have no use of bandages, and a quick spell would do the trick to fix everything that goes wrong around you."

Eragon raised an eyebrow, and Saphira, who was listening to this conversation with an amused look on her face, snorted. "Magic can't fix everything… It will only repair what's on the surface. You can't make anyone love you, for they will hate you instead. And using spells to do such a thing is personal benefit, meaning you will end up in a far more disastrous situation then you are now." Saying the last line, Eragon grinned.

Murtagh laughed loudly as he poked at the fire with a branch. His mind was occupied, but his hands, apparently, were bored. "…Life is not easy as it seems, eh?"

Eragon sighed and could only smile sourly, "I suppose so. How long have I been asleep?"

Murtagh tilted his head in thought, "All afternoon, you would not wake up! After you collapsed, I thought you had been killed. Your skin was so cold…"

"…I still feel no warmth… I don't know what's happening to me." Suddenly the thought of the Zar'roc jumped into his thoughts, and he spoke in a hurry, "I lost Zar'roc when I was being dragged… Do you have it?"

Murtagh nodded, and he pulled the red stained sword out from near his laid bags. Eragon gave a sigh of relief… If he had lost that sword, he would have lost a weapon. But something told him, maybe instinct, that it was more than that. He hungered for it, the sharp slice that the sword could make. His eyes widened as he realized he could smell something familiar, and he coughed in disgust. He spat it out, trying to get rid of it. Saphira looked at him with concern, and nudged him with her nose as his coughing calmed.

Eragon squinted to look at what he threw out from his system, and realized that the dark substance on the ground was in fact his own blood. But what made him wander even more, and fear himself was the fact that he could see the color of the crimson. The fire was a good source of light, but his shadow should have darkened it, making the blood undetectable by normal eyes. Instead, it was clear as crystal in his blue-eyed orbs.

He, Eragon Dragonrider, could see in the dark. And he certainly knew that it was no magic that a light rider would have adopted for himself. This magic was dark…

_I… I… I can see through the darkness… _Eragon spoke, his voice trembling. The cold - the ice that had started to cover his heart and numb his decisions whole - clutched at his insides mercilessly. The fear suddenly washed over Eragon, and the anxiety he had felt before increased rapidly. He suddenly got up to his feet, surprising Murtagh, who had been looking at him with narrowed eyes. There was worry, yes, but now Eragon could feel a suspicion rising in his friend…

_Eragon… Fight the shadow… It cannot harm you if you stand strong…! _Saphira shouted, but Eragon shook his head. He could feel the fiery cold freeze him thoroughly, and his mind suddenly turned blank. Eragon backed away from Murtagh and even from Saphira. Saphira did not do the same… She took a step forward. Murtagh gave him a confused look, a look that couldn't quite grasp what was happening.

"What is happening?" Murtagh said, turning his glance from Eragon to Saphira. He rose as well, taking a step forward with a perplexed frown on his face.

"I-I.." Eragon whispered, but he wasn't able to continue. A hideous blare interrupted his thoughts, his mind and made him scream, falling to his knees with his hands on clamped over both his ears. The sound... It was unbearable. It made him want to sleep, fall back into the thoughtless, black chasm he had been floating before..

"Eragon! Tell me what's happening? Come on, rider, what's wrong with you?" Murtagh shouted as he and Saphira kneeled close to the screaming young man.

"_Louddd!" _Eragon yelled with all his might and with great difficult. Something was ripping, tearing and burning his neck like a hand strangling the breath out of him. His ears continued to listen to a sound that was nowhere to be heard by anything but him.

"Oh god..." Murtagh said as he tried to find something in his bag that might help the rider from his suffering. But there seemed to be nothing he could do. This was magic he was dealing with, and it was with magic alone that Eragon will most likely be healed with.

Saphira used her snout the brush Eragon's body, to rub her strength and magic within the tormented young rider. It seemed to help a little, because his screams ceased slowly, echoing only as a hollow wind that carried the thinning voice away into whatever direction it may lead. Eragon fell, his hands by his hands like anchors as his body leaned onto Saphira's snout.

Murtagh came, slapping Eragon on the cheeks to try to make him focus his attention on reality. He did nothing to stop the stranger.

Eragon could only feel relief from being released by that pain and the cold. The sound continued to taunt him, but he could only hear it as a melody. _Dun dun dun. _It sounded like drums being beaten just before battle. He didn't understand.

"Can you hear me, friend? Stop staring, it makes you look like a madman! Tell me what happened, Eragon!" Murtagh growled, shaking Eragon's shoulder. A warning look from Saphira's eyes made Murtagh's grip somewhat loosen and his expression soften just a little.

"The Shade did something, something that might have been meant to harm me. I think I'm changing..." Eragon said, barely a voice. His throat was hoarse from screaming so long.

"What did he do?" Murtagh say, his eyes narrowing.

"He threw a sword, a black sword.." Eragon said finally after trying desperately to hold consciousness and form the sentence at the same time. However the exhaustion was taking its toll again. He was being sucked back to the darkness. The peaceful, noiseless area of his mind... It stole his time on reality and made everything.. disappear. Just for a moment.

Only for a moment.

**X**

Murtagh stared at the sleeping form of Eragon for a moment, studying the symptoms. He was trying to figure out what had happened to the Rider. And the black sword... what did it mean?

Saphira had also been unable to do anything but continue to stay still. That was, until Eragon was lost in his dreams again. Murtagh could see that the dragon was desperate. She nudged the rider. When that didn't seem to work, she, too, stood still for a moment with her glowing eyes being hidden by her eyelids.

"It is confusing.. Whatever magic the Shade had inflicted at Eragon, it is certainly damaging and definitely not good. Until the Rider wakes again, I do not think we will know more..." Murtagh spoke, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. He turned to look at Saphira, who had opened her eyes again slowly. She look very concerned, almost angry and sad at the same time. The stranger certainly would not like to be the enemy of this particular dragon.

"Unless, of course, you can connect with him while he is in sleep."

Saphira shook her head. Her eyes were trying to tell Murtagh something, but without words he could not understand them clearly. He could only shrug with a small frown creasing his lips. He glanced back at Eragon. The rider's face was smeared with his own sweat, glittering in the shadow of the dancing firelight. The pained expression on Eragon's face as slumbered on continued to bother him.

"When we reach the Varden, things will most likely be answered. Until then, we will have to wait..."

The deep blue dragon did not look reassured. She only continued to rub her scales on her Rider's cheeks.

**X**

_The screams. The intense pain. The confusion._

Durza laughed mightily. His deep laughter echoed. On his face a satisfactory smile that stretched over his dark face. Eyes glittered almost triumphantly. His open hand grabbed the empty wind, and he balled his fist, listening keenly at the faint sound it made.

He could hear the screams.. The foolish boy's _beautiful _torment.

The Shade knew his Master would not have approved, however... perhaps he will make an exception.

His smile continued to spread over his foul lips.

**A/N: **-rubs eyes- Sleepy. Must sleep, lol. :P Hope you like, will update when I can! I have a few ideas for the plot, just a bit obsessive-less (if thats a word)! Happy New Year everybody! One more day and its the year 2008! ;D

**Edit: Okay, I know its a HUGE edit and I'm sorry. But I realized later after posting this chapter that everything can't be revealed too quickly. I didn't imagine the story to go that fast, and it sounded a little too cliche. So I'm going to take things slowly. I shall definetely have the pleasure of confusing Saphira and Murtagh about this mystery. XP (Mwahaha!) Well, thanks to those who review before it was changed! I really appreciate it and I hope I haven't disappointed you too much.**


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